


aftermath

by the_other_lutece_sister



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Other, everyone else was there but they all went home, ob has one episode left for rachel and helena to meet and i'm highly strung, the true triumverate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 12:36:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11760030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_other_lutece_sister/pseuds/the_other_lutece_sister
Summary: Rachel and Helena finally meet.





	aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> I have this very clear image in my mind of Rachel sitting next to Helena's bed, and they're talking, but I'm in Sarah's position and I can't hear them. So....here is - this.
> 
> Call me out  
> My regret  
> Only makes me  
> Stronger yet
> 
> Nothing I've ever done right  
> Happened on the safe side  
> It's the other way  
> I'm missing everyone I know now
> 
> It's too late in the day,  
> Too late in the day to turn it around or change my mind  
> It's too late in the day to take you on all the rides  
> It's too late in the day to tell me I'm off the path  
> We're already in the aftermath  
> [clone by METRIC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anpu-YzJlOw)

Sarah leaned against the half-white half-green wall, exhausted. Alison and Donnie had just left, finally, after fussing about Helena and the twins for hours. They’d taken turns holding the babies while Helena napped, and Sarah and Kira sat at the side of the bed watching, not ready to leave her alone just yet.

 

Now, though, she was nursing, and Sarah had popped out to get a crappy hot tea from the vending machine. Kira and Charlotte had gone with the Hendrix’s. Cosima and Delphine had left earlier for some well-earned time alone, (plus they’d been making everyone nauseous with their lovey-dovey antics, ‘everyone’ being Felix, despite the smile that refused to budge off his own face after Colin had popped up from the morgue for a visit.)

Felix had to go have a meeting about the new exhibition. _At midnight?_ Sarah had smirked _,_ but hugged him extra hard before he left, full of enough love and pride to burst right open. Then she'd punched his arm and reminded him to call Tony, give him the heads up about the cure.

 

Which left Sarah. She kept turning to catch Siobhan’s eye, before remembering that…

She sipped her tea, hot enough to burn her tongue but she welcomed the distraction of the pain. It was that time of night when the hospital was deadly quiet, the kind of quiet that you expected to explode at any moment, but Sarah couldn’t hear anything but faint beeping of machines and the occasional baby wail as she wandered back down the hallway. When she got back to Helena’s room, she stopped and watched through the window, the smile on her face wide and easy.

 

Helena had taken to motherhood far more quickly and easily than Sarah had. Oh, she had loved Kira from the moment she saw her, of course - her little scrunched up face, screaming like she’d sucked up all of Sarah’s anger and was releasing it all at once. The way her tiny fingers grasped Sarah’s and wouldn’t let go. Sarah had been terrified, confused, never wanting to put her down,  wanting to run away from her. But Helena, she had taken those two little girls in her arms like she’d been waiting for this moment her entire life, and spoken to them in Ukranian, her face glowing like a stained glass window.

 

“Whaddya say to them?” Sarah had asked, and Helena had looked at her, tilting her head a little to the side and smiling coyly.

 

“That is for babies only, Sarah. So they know who they are.” She had reached out, far less hesitant than she used to be, and put her hand on Sarah’s, lifting it so they were palm to palm, and their fingers entwined. She smiled lopsidedly, a mirror to Sarah’s own.

 

“Thank you, _sestra_ ,” Helena had said quietly. “You saved my life...my babies life.” She looked down to their intermingled fingers and blinked rapidly, tears forming. “We have lost so many of our family. But we are still here.” (Sometimes she still saw Gracie’s terrified face when she closed her eyes, but she didn’t want to tell Sarah that. Sarah had enough nightmares already.)

Helena squeezed her sister's hand and let it go to wipe her eyes.

 

“Yeah,” Sarah had reached over to pick up Helena’s hand again and placing it against her own cheek, “we’re still here.”

 

  


Now she watched as Helena stroked the head of one twin softly as she swaddled her back up, talking and making faces, the baby watching her sleepy-eyed but fascinated. The other was already back in it’s small round crib. Sarah drank her tea and leaned her forehead on the glass, hoping like hell that S could see them too, somehow.

Helena glanced up, smiled, waved a tiny baby hand at her before tucking it into the blanket. Sarah waved back. As she turned and crumpled the cup in her hand, she saw Art turning the corner at the other end of the hall, and she grinned. Then she saw who was walking that slightly lopsided walk just behind him and the grin slid off her face.

 

Sarah tossed the cup into the nearest bin, and folded her arms, watching Rachel carefully. Then she looked at Art, raising her eyebrows in a _what the fuck?_ expression. He answered silently with his best _wish I knew_ face. As they reached her, Sarah put her hand on his shoulder, and they looked at each other in the way that survivors do, then he stepped aside.

 

“I was...escorting Rachel to the airport. Then she said she wanted to stop here, see Helena.” He stepped closer to Sarah, and lowered his voice. “She’s clean - unarmed, all bags left in the car.” He gave Rachel a sideways glance. Sarah couldn’t quite read the expression on his face, but it was probably much the same as hers. Suspicion, trepidation, hatred that was losing its vigour, and a touch of grudging respect.

 

Rachel stood to the side, pointedly looking away from the two of them. She wore an ankle length dress, the neckline encircling her throat and leaving her arms bare, and the jersey fabric making it fall just on the _casual_ side of designer chic. It was black and white, the colour split down the centre. The eyepatch was still just black.

Sarah found herself wondering if there were fancy high-end eyepatches for the well-to-do villains of the world. Maybe there was a market for it. She shifted her stance, crossed her arms.

 

“Rachel,” she stated, trying to keep her tone neutral.

 

Rachel’s head turned. Her hair was straight again, blonde and smooth, face perfectly made up. Sarah couldn’t read her expression either. The red lips twitched at the corners, almost a smile.

 

“Sarah,” she replied, voice as flat as Sarah’s, arms crossed, but elegantly, elbows cupped in hands. She glanced towards the window to Helena’s room. “I wonder if I may see Helena for a moment, before I go.”

 

Sarah almost laughed, but Rachel looked perfectly serious.

 

“ _Why_ ?” Sarah shook her head, pushed her hair back. “The two of you...you’ve never even bloody _met_ Helena. She’s been through enough without you going in there and...being _smarmy_ at her.” Without even realising it, she’d moved closer to the door, ready to block Rachel’s way.

Whose face had gone even stonier, if that was possible.

 

“I’m aware that we’ve never met, Sarah. That is why I am here.” Rachel sighed, and stepped closer to Sarah. Her arms unfolded, hands clasped in front of her, her one eye wide and steady. “We’ve _all_ been through,” she made a small gesture with one hand, “...a lot. I merely want to wish Helena well. Trust me, Sarah.”

 

Now Sarah did laugh, snorting.

 

“Trust you? That’s a joke, right?” She studied Rachel’s face. Nope, not a joke. She chewed the inside of her lip. Then she turned and knocked on the door, sticking her head in.

 

“Oi, meathead, you got a visitor.” She kept her voice cheerful, some vague idea about babies picking up on negative vibes in the back of her mind. Sounded like a Cosima thing. She opened the door wider, exposing Rachel standing in the corridor, looking as out of place as Helena looked at home. Helena craned her head to see, blonde curls bouncing around her face.

She gave a small grin.

 

“ _Sestra_ Rachel.” She tilted her head. “Hmm. You are still very pretty, even with -” she tapped a finger on her left eyelid.

 

Rachel blinked.

 

“Thank you,” she said stiffly.

“You alright, Helena?” asked Sarah, watching her carefully. The last time the two of them had been anywhere near each other, it had been on opposite ends of a sniper rifle. God, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Helena glanced at her and nodded.

 

“Yes, very alright. Come in, Rachel. Sit.” Helena patted the chair next to the bed. Sarah stared at her incredulously.

 

“Helena, are you sure you wanna…” she started, and then Helena gave her a sharp look that reminded Sarah of Helena’s ability to defend herself, and she backed off, holding her hands up somewhat mockingly. “Okay, okay. You two sit and...visit, I’ll go hang with Art.” She brushed past Rachel on her way, the blonde giving her a satisfied look and entering the room, perching in the chair and folding her hands in her lap.

 

Sarah slowly closed the door behind her, only catching the opening pleasantries of the conversation, Helena’s eyes following her as she did, reassuring, and somehow sad.

 

Art came up behind her, tapped her shoulder, handed her another foam cup with hot liquid that was supposed to taste like something. She nodded thanks, and turned back to the window, forehead creased in puzzlement. She heard Art move away, make a call.

 

She could see the back of Rachel’s neck, elegant as she talked, shoulders back and spine straight. She could see Helena’s face, expressions chasing each other across it. At one point, she laughed, and Rachel’s shoulders shook slightly.

 

“Did...did one of ‘em make a joke?” Sarah muttered in bewildered tones. “Did _Rachel_ make a joke?” She drank the tea, screwing her nose up. Then Helena’s face got very serious, and she talked, sitting up straight now, her hands reaching out a few times. She was very careful not to actually touch Rachel at all, though, Sarah noticed.

 

Then Rachel stood. Helena shuffled over in the bed a little, and pointed at the cribs, clearly introducing the babies as she moved her finger from one to the next, intonating their names. Rachel glanced down at them, smiled politely but without any undue interest.

Sarah breathed out, just becoming aware of how tensed up her muscles were.

 

The Rachel was turning to leave - but she stopped, turned back, said something, and fleetingly touched Helena on the hand. Helena nodded.

 

The door opened, and Rachel stepped out. There was something different about her expression now, but Sarah couldn’t pick it. Some sort of satisfaction, perhaps. She looked past Sarah.

 

“Detective Bell. Shall we go?” Her voice remained clipped and emotionless as she met Sarah’s eyes. “Sarah.” she nodded.

“Rachel.” Sarah replied, fighting off the ridiculous urge to hug her goodbye, just like she’d hugged everyone else tonight. “Where you off to, anyway?” She picked at the cup in her hands, making little half moons with her fingernails.

 

A small smirk passed over Rachel's face.

“Abroad,” she answered.

 

Sarah wanted to ask _with what money,_ and _who with,_ and _but what will you_ **_do?_ ** But she just shrugged and said,

“Sounds nice.”

 

And then Art was back, hugged Sarah around the shoulders, told her to call if any emergency arose, the usual. He followed Rachel down the corridor, the black and white dress stark against the dull green. Sarah shook her head, and went back into Helena’s room, checked the babies (sound asleep now) and smiled at her twin.

 

“That was...weird,” she said lightheartedly, plopping down into the chair. “What’d you talk about anyway?”

 

Helena looked at her, then at the babies, the ceiling, and back to Sarah. She tugged at her lips for a moment.

 

“Survival,” she answered.

 

Sarah nodded.

She held her sisters hand until they both dozed off.

**Author's Note:**

> and they never hear from Rachel again, but occasionally unsigned postcards will arrive for Helena from different places around the world, and sometimes a very expensive gift for Kira and the twins (just to annoy Sarah.) :)


End file.
